Man accused in church fire, vandalism disputes competency finding

Monday

Feb 12, 2018 at 3:58 PMFeb 12, 2018 at 5:47 PM

Lake Township resident accused of shooting at hardware store, spray-painting church is not competent to stand trial, according to evaluation.

CANTON A Lake Township man accused of multiple acts of vandalism, including firing gunshots at a hardware store, setting a church on fire and spray-painting "Satan" at another church is disputing a finding that he is not competent to stand trial.

Richard D. Rhodes, 50, faces nine counts of vandalism, two arson-related charges, two counts of desecration and two counts of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle. All of the charges are felonies.

Some of the charges stem from the Aug. 27 fire at St. Nikolai Orthodox Church north of Louisville. He set the church on fire on a Sunday morning, endangering people who had arrived to open it for worship and causing more than $150,000 in damage to the building and contents, according to court records the Stark County Prosecutor's Office filed in the case.

Rhodes also is accused of cutting down a cross with a chainsaw at St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church, 1621 S. Sawburg Road in Alliance. Damage was estimated at $75,000, court records indicate.

Police also suspect Rhodes of defacing the doors at Hartville Hardware with spray paint, as well as firing several gunshots at the building while two people were inside. Allegations also include Rhodes firing gunshots at a vehicle at the Ohio Highway Patrol post in Jackson Township.

At a hearing Monday in Stark County Common Pleas Court, Hope Konovsky, an assistant Stark County prosecutor, said a mental health professional evaluated Rhodes and found he is not competent to stand trial, but he potentially could be restored to competency within a year by undergoing treatment.

Judge Taryn Heath said another competency hearing will be scheduled for later this month.

Rhodes was admitted last year to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare Hospital in Massillon, Konovsky said.

Allegations detailed

During Monday's hearing, Rhodes addressed the court against the advice of his attorney, Kenneth Frame, of the Stark County Public Defender's Office.

Like he did at a previous hearing in Canton Municipal Court, Rhodes on Monday referenced the law of God and quoted scripture.

Referring to the charges against him, Rhodes said, "I told the truth from the beginning. I didn't lie to anybody."

In the St. Nikolai incident, Rhodes pried open a window at the church, spread gallons of accelerant inside and placed a propane tank in the church with the valve open before setting a fire, according to court records. The fire endangered someone who arrived at the church with their 8-year-old child to open the building for the morning service, records said.

On Aug. 27 at St. Paul Catholic Church, 241 S. Main St. in North Canton, the defendant spray-painted "Satan" on a sign and destroyed a banner, according to the county prosecutor's office.

Following a string of vandalism incidents last summer, Rhodes became a suspect in cases in both Stark and Summit counties.

Investigators have said Rhodes also is believed to be linked to shots fired at Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles sites in Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls. Rhodes had worked as a BMV clerk, according to investigators.

Court records also indicate Rhodes was inside a vehicle when he shot multiple rounds into the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in the 3100 block of Whitewood Street NW in Plain Township.

In Hartville, Rhodes cut down 11 banners, causing $1,650 in damage, according to court records. At Hartville Hardware, he shot out two windows and fired multiple rounds into a windshield of a box truck the business owns, court records said.

Other targets of Rhodes' gunfire included windows at the DeHoff Realty building in North Canton, investigators said.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315

and ed.balint@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @ebalint REP

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